Photo: SUPPLIED
Monday's horror crash on State Highway 1 in Ramarama has left six children fatherless just before Father's Day.
Police say a truck blew a tyre, crashed through a barrier and hit a van carrying six people - along with two other cars. Three people in the van were killed.
Three others were taken to hospital, and a 21-year-old man remains in a critical condition.
More details have emerged of the events leading up to the crash.
All three of the people who died were from the same family.
The family of the deceased driver, Uili Fa'aofo, has told RNZ Pacific he had gone to pick up his two nephews, who were RSE workers preparing to head back home to Samoa this week.
His nephews were also killed in the crash.
The family said he had originally planned to book the pair on a public bus but they asked for him to pick them up in person.
Uili Fa'aofo is survived by his wife and six children.
The Auckland Samoan Community is planning a memorial service.
On Tuesday, Counties Manukau road policing manager, inspector Tony Wakelin said: "Every single element, including road factors, drivers' factor, vehicles, everything that forms the final outcome of the crash will be investigated to the nth degree".